The director of the next 'Bad Boys' confirms Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will be back

Thirteen years after the sequel — and 21 since the original
— Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have been confirmed for a return
to the "Bad Boys" franchise.

The third installment, titled "Bad Boys for Life," was originally
scheduled for a June 2017 release, but now is set
for January 2018.

In an
interview with io9, the film's director Joe Carnahan said the
stars will be back and explained that the delay was due to
Smith's commitments on "Suicide Squad."

"We couldn’t all get in a room, go through this thing, and
really ring it out," Carnahan told io9. "I’m a big believer
in 'Do the work at the script level until you’ve got something
you know works.' That everyone is happy with, the stars are happy
with, the director is happy with, the studio is happy
with."

Michael Bay directed the first two films in the franchise.
Carnahan said the delay also gives him time to form a bond with
his stars.

"There’s only one Will Smith and one Martin
Lawrence," Carnahan said. "You can’t replace those guys and I
wouldn’t want to be involved if it wasn’t Will and Martin.
They are that franchise."